"It's a tremendous issue and it's gaining traction," says former Bears safety Gary Fencik. "When I go to (Bears) alumni weekend games, no one is talking about their artificial knees or shoulders. They're asking, 'How many concussions did you have? Do you have any symptoms?' "

Fencik is closer to the issue than most. His son and daughter suffered concussions in high school. He also spent 12 years in the NFL, five alongside Dave Duerson. Duerson killed himself in 2011; a postmortem review found that he was suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease brought on by multiple concussions.

"The challenge is now for parents, at the college, high school and peewee level, not to eliminate football but increase awareness," Fencik says. "There are ways to measure concussions and help, in some ways, to prevent them."

Fencik is on the advisory board and event committee for an Oct. 7 event sponsored by the Sports Legacy Institute to benefit the Chicago Concussion Coalition.

Chris Nowinski is the executive director of SLI, a Boston-based nonprofit that seeks to advance the study, treatment and prevention of the effects of brain trauma.

"It's a complex problem, and most people don't have a handle on how big it is or what an appropriate response is," Nowinski says. "We don't even know if we can teach a child (to recognize) when they have a concussion or how important it is for them to notify a parent or a coach."

Fencik is hopeful "that with efforts like SLI and with the NFL, people will change their approach, whether it's a parent, player or coach, and be able to continue to play the game we love."

The SLI event is from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 7 (VIP event starts at 5 p.m.) at the University Club of Chicago, 76 E. Monroe St. Tickets start at $125; $100 members. Visit sportslegacy.org for information.

The Seattle CEO who raised salaries for all of his employees to a minimum of $70,000 a year, drawing accusations of socialism, now says he has fallen on hard times, the Washington Times reported Saturday.

It's a battle that goes all the way back to their college days at the University of Miami — defensive end Olivier Vernon vs. left tackle Jason Fox. Now that matchup is taking place at the NFL level with the Dolphins, and there's much more at stake.